Indian American Chess Prodigy Abhimanyu Mishra Becomes Youngest Ever Chess Grandmaster
Move over Karjakin, there’s another grandmaster in the house. Twelve-year-old Abhimanyu Mishra from New Jersey has become the youngest-ever chess Grandmaster (GM) in the world, obliterating the long-standing record held by Sergey Karjakin in Budapest, Hungary, on June 30. At the Vezerkepzo GM Mix tournament, Mishra, often called Abhi, defeated 15-year-old Indian Grand Master Leon Luke Mendonca with the black piece, breaking Karjakin’s record that has stood for 19 years, according to a chess.com statement.
Karjakin was 12, when he secured the grandmaster title on Aug. 12, 2002, at the age of 12 years and seven months. Mishra, born Feb. 5, 2009, took 12 years, four months, and 25 days to beat that record.
Notably, Mishra had earlier broken the record of India’s R Praggnanandhaa to become the youngest international master. Mishra won the title when he was 10 years, 9 months, and 20 days in 2019, going past Praggnanandhaa who was 10 years, 10 months, and 19 days when clinching the International Master (IM) title.
Mishra, after becoming the world’s youngest International Master last year, chased his dream and achieved this extraordinary feat at the Vezerkepzo GM Mix in Budapest, a tournament organized just to give him one final shot at the title, as several chess players stayed back due to travel restrictions.
Mishra has been in the Hungarian capital since April, in pursuit of the record. He had attained the first and second GM norms in April and May, but the third had seemed elusive with time catching up and fewer tournaments on the horizon. He had to wait till mid-July for another shot at the record, but this tournament.
On hearing of the unseating, Karjakin told chess.com, “Somehow I am quite philosophic about this because I felt like it has been almost 20 years and it is really too much! It had to be broken. Sooner or later, I was sure that it would happen. I was completely sure that one of the Indian guys would do it much earlier. Somehow, I was very lucky that it didn’t happen. Yes, I am a little sad that I lost the record, I don’t want to lie, but at the same time I can only congratulate him and it’s no problem. I hope that he will go on to become one of the top chess players and it will be just a nice start to his big career. I wish him all the best.”
Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand took to Twitter to congratulate the youngster. “Great results for Indian chess! And a big congrats to the Indian origin Abhimanyu Misra on becoming the youngest GM!”
Mishra was just a tot, only two-and-a-half years old when his father Hemant, who works in data management, introduced him to chess. According to The Indian Express, Mishra grasped the nuances of the game quickly and by the time he was 5, he was beating his father and competing in local tournaments, where he started defeating players as old as his father.
Arun Prasad, one of Mishra’s coaches, remembering an incident told the Indian Express, “He was just nine when he was pitted against a veteran 70-year-old. He beat him in no time. I thought I was watching history in the making. I soon realized he’s not normal – but in a great way. He remembers everything he sees. He remembers moves from games in 2014 and 2015. His mind absorbs everything.”
Mishra’s fame began to spread and he started traveling when he was barely 7, the age at which he became the youngest national champion before becoming the youngest National Master in the U.S. at the age 9.
However, without corporate sponsorships, the family had to dig deep into their pockets. “Whatever people spend on college tuition, we have already invested that in chess,” Hemant told the New Jersey Post. Mishra also has a Gofundme page, where they have raised close to $16,000 for their trip to Hungary.
The family is understandably elated and relieved. “Abhimanyu has worked hard all these years for this. He and his father have been in Budapest for the last three months as Abhimanyu wanted to compete in the chess circuit there to earn the remaining GM norms and becoming the youngest GM in the world is the result of his passion. It has been tough for the family as my husband and Abhimanyu are mostly traveling while I stay with my younger daughter, but this reward is bigger than anything,” Abhimanyu’s mother Swati Sharma told The Indian Express from New Jersey.
Mishra’s return is eagerly awaited by family and friends. GM Magesh Chandran, one of his coaches at the Kings and Queens Academy in New Jersey, where he polished his game told The Indian Express, “We don’t interact on a regular basis, but I keep a regular tab on him, follow each of his games and sometimes chip in with some advice whenever he is here. The sooner the better it would be for him and us. Once he comes back, we hope to catch up.”
Though intense in front of the board, Mishra is not just a chess buff. Like any other kid his age he has varied interests. And like all kids looks up to other athletes. Mishra tells the Indian Express that his sporting guru is swimmer Michael Phelps (his chess hero is the legendary Garry Kasparov), and that he wants to acquire a black belt in karate when he grows older. Mishra also loves and plays a lot of video games with friends – Brawl Stars is his favorite). But for now, his eyes are firmly trained on the 64-square board.
Mishra is in an elite group. The five previous youngest Grandmasters are Tigran Petrosian (23), Boris Spassky (18), Bobby Fischer (15), Judit Polgar (15), and Karjakin. All but Karjakin went on to become world champions, which may just indicate that the 12-year-old’s youngest GM record is just another milestone in a very long path.